New Religions and the Theological Imagination in America [Paperback]

Bednarowski is especially good at elucidating the theological daring of these new American religions.... [She] demonstrates in a very few pages how... theology and group adherence made the individual count, a configuration simultaneously American, un-American, and important. Jon Butler

The cultural confrontation with these `new religions' is very real and usually very misinformed. Bednarowski has gone to great lengths to dispel the ignorance. The Christian Century

A groundbreaking study. Syzygy: Journal of Alternative Religion and Culture

Organized as a series of theological conversations about ultimate questions, this book offers a guide to the answers these six religions offer. Drawing heavily on sources from the movements themselves, it presents a balanced comparative account of the emerging theological systems of America's new religions.

MARY FARRELL BEDNAROWSKI is Professor of Religious Studies at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities.

Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
1. Introduction: New Religions and the Theological Imagination
2. Who or What Is God Like? Concepts of Deity in the New Religions
3. What Does It Mean to Be Human? Views of Human Nature in the New Religions
4. The Dead Learn Forever: Death and Afterlife in the New Religions
5. How Shall We Live Our Lives? Ethical Reflection and Moral Issues in the New Religions
6. Epilogue: Broadening the Conversation
Notes, Annotated Bibliography, and Index